


Love Me Like It's Summertime

by Actual_Dunwich_Horror



Category: Men's Hockey RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Summer Camp, Getting Together, LGBTQ Characters, M/M, Pining, Talent Shows, and it's a little hectic, josty doesn't know how to talk to hot boys, they're all camp counselors, trans!Tyson Barrie
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-07
Updated: 2019-04-07
Packaged: 2020-01-01 05:23:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 17,400
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18329486
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Actual_Dunwich_Horror/pseuds/Actual_Dunwich_Horror
Summary: Tyson Jost expected his first month as a counselor at Camp Lakeview to consist of mosquitoes, rowdy kids, annoying coworkers, and bland food. What he got instead was thirty campers who he wanted to adopt, a group of new friends, and a huge crush on the lifeguard by the lake.





	Love Me Like It's Summertime

**Author's Note:**

  * In response to a prompt by [dejas](https://archiveofourown.org/users/dejas/pseuds/dejas) in the [wesmashing](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/wesmashing) collection. 



> **Prompt:**
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> "It's Tyson's first summer working as a summer camp counselor and he doesn't quite know what to expect other than camp stories, mosquitos and having to keep a cabin of kids in order. What he especially doesn't expect is to develop a crush on the counselor who lifeguards down by the lake. 
> 
> Give me camp fires and counselor shenanigans, Tyson possibly having a meltdown over potentially losing a camper or two and use of that Avs Ensemble tag! Pairing is up to you, though I am fond of Tyson/JT."
> 
> If you found this by googling yourself, plz do us a favor and turn back. I don't equate these fictional characters to their real life counterparts in any way. You know the drill.
> 
> Welcome to what is quite literally the longest thing I have ever written! I'll be honest when I say I have no idea how to write things that are longer than 2k, so I hope this isn't too horrible. A lot of the camp experiences in this fic are based off of my own experiences from scout camp when I was younger, so that's always fun. Title from Summertime by Ashley Wallbridge. Huge thanks to the group chat for helping provide ideas and cheering me on. Biggest thanks to my beta, Aaron, for tackling this fic with enthusiasm despite not being a hockey fan. I owe you one, buddy! Note that all the locations in this fic are fictional, although I based the layout of Camp Lakeview on my old scout camp. Semi-spoilery tag warnings will be in the end notes. Without further ado, I hope you all enjoy this!

Tyson arrived at Camp Lakeview at a glaring 9 o’clock in the morning on a Sunday. The drive was long, he woke up late and didn’t have time to get coffee, and to top it all off, he was nervous as hell.

He honestly hadn’t expected to get the job at Camp Lakeview. Sure, he had done the required CPR and first aid certification, and he was even a CIT at a smaller summer camp in North Dakota for a while. But Camp Lakeview was big, formal, and honestly a rather pricey camp, and Tyson had thought that getting the job there was a longshot. Kacey was the one who made him apply there, quoting Gretzky and telling him over and over that “you miss one hundred percent of the shots you don’t take,” and in the end, she was absolutely right.

Tyson wasn’t complaining though. The pay was decent, far more so than most other camps he’d looked into, and the grounds were absolutely gorgeous.

As he stepped out of his car, he took a moment to look around, genuinely in awe at the immensity of the campsite. The camp back in North Dakota was tiny compared to this one. The first thing Tyson noticed was the huge lodge ( _ Eagle Lodge _ , Tyson had remembered from the website), which was an extravagantly built structure easily the size of two houses. The front of Eagle Lodge looked out onto a lake surrounded by trees, with a small stretch of sand that acted as a beach next to a dock and boathouse. Immediately next to the lodge was a large amphitheater with a campfire pit in the center, just above the lake shore with the forest creeping along the edge. On the other side of the lodge, Tyson could just make out the wooden cabins where he, the campers, and the other counselors would be staying.

The place was massive. And intimidating as hell.

The email said that the first counselor’s meeting would be at 9:30 on the upper deck of the lodge. He made his way to the large structure, and he swore that it grew in size the closer he got. His palms began to grow sweaty, and at this point he had no clue if it was due to the heat or out of anxiety. The previous summer, Kacey had been a counselor at the girls’ summer camp on the other side of the mountain, and she had told Tyson plenty of horror stories about her fellow counselors, but on the other hand… she had made several close friends out of it too. Tyson had made plenty of good friends at the camp in North Dakota, but he was especially worried about his luck carrying over to Camp Lakeview.

He made his way up the front stairs that lead to the top deck, where he found a table covered with a plethora of supplies and gear to hand out to the incoming counselors. Standing in front of the table were three big blonde men who were chattering away aimlessly, but stopped when they noticed Tyson coming up the stairs. 

One of the big blondes (specifically the super hot one who vaguely reminded Tyson of a viking) stepped forward with a rather contagious grin on his face. “You must be one of the new counselors. Welcome to Camp Lakeview!” He held his hand out for Tyson to shake.

Tyson happily accepted the handshake. “Thanks, I’m excited to be here!” He said. In reality he felt half asleep and shaky due to nerves, but first impressions are lasting impressions, and Tyson had a reputation to uphold. Or something like that.

“I’m Gabe Landeskog, the head counselor here at Camp Lakeview, but my camp name is Landy.” Gabe pointed to the two men behind him. “These guys are the alternate head counselors, Erik Johnson-”

“Camp name’s EJ, or The Condor. Whichever you’d prefer.” The taller one said, flashing a toothless grin. Gabe shook his head and rolled his eyes, continuing, “-and Nate MacKinnon. We’re basically in charge of keeping this place up and running and making sure that no one gets hurt.”

Nate took a step forward, placing a hand on Gabe’s shoulder. “AND, we make sure that everyone has fun. This is a summer camp, not a boot camp. You can call me Dogg, by the way.” At that, Gabe sighed. “Of all the possible names you could choose, you had to go with that one.” Nate simply responded with a shrug, but Tyson could see where Gabe was coming from. 

“I’m Tyson Jost, but you can just call me Josty. It’s great meeting you guys,” Tyson said.

EJ scoffed and crossed his arms. “Great. Another Tyson.”

Before Tyson could question what EJ meant, Gabe jumped in to clarify. “Our cook’s name is Tyson too. EJ didn’t mean anything by that,” he said, shooting a glare over his shoulder. “Anyway, you’re actually the first of the supervisional counselors to arrive. The others most likely won’t be here for a while, but they never typically show up on time to the first day. Meanwhile,we can get you set up with some of your camp supplies.”

 

//

 

After Gabe had loaded up Tyson with his new gear and had him fill out a few slips of paperwork, a few of the other counselors began showing up, chattering amongst themselves and with the three head counselors. Not too long later, Gabe quieted everyone down, and announced that the meeting was about to start.

“Alright, listen up,” Nate said. “I’m seeing quite a few familiar faces, which is awesome. Good to see you all,” A few of them cheered at Nate. “But, we’ve also got a few fresh faces. Would you guys care to step forward and introduce yourselves?”

Tyson most definitely did not want to step forward and introduce himself, so he stayed quiet and waited for someone else to say something first. He mentally breathed a sigh of relief when a tall, pale dude who honestly looked a bit like a vampire broke the silence. “Hey, I’m Ryan Graves,” he said with a wave.  _ His last name is Graves? Fitting,  _ Tyson thought to himself. “Camp name’s Gravy, though.” A couple of guys snickered and a few others nodded. 

Tyson cleared his throat and waved. “I’m Tyson Jost,” he paused as he heard a few groans. “Yeah I know, another Tyson, I’ve heard. Anyway, my camp name’s Josty.” He looked down at the floorboards, thankful to get that out of the way.

After Tyson, a shorter counselor with a slight accent introduced himself as Sam Girard, but told everyone to just call him G. 

Soon enough, Nate and EJ began to run through the basics of things- camp etiquette, their daily schedules, who’s in charge of what on which day, etcetera. Tyson honestly zoned out a bit, but hey, it was a lot to try to remember all at once. Luckily there was fourteen other counselors who hopefully knew what they were doing. Hopefully.

After the meeting wrapped up, everyone was instructed to head back to their cars and grab all their luggage so that they could assign them to their cabins.

As soon as everyone had their bags slung over their shoulders or rolling behind them, EJ led them to the cabins, which were honestly a lot bigger than Tyson had thought. There were four separate cabins all in a row along the bottom of a hill along with another smaller structure that Tyson assumed was the shower house. As they reached the cabin that was closest to the shower house, EJ set one of his duffle bags on the dirt and stopped to address the group. “Alright pheasants, you know the drill. Us veterans who’ve been at Camp Lakeview for the longest amount of time get the closest cabin,” he nodded over his shoulder to the cabin behind him, “and the newbies get the furthest. No ifs, ands, or buts. You know where to go. Now, break!” He clapped his hands once and turned to head into his cabin. 

Tyson sighed and looked down the row of cabins. The furthest cabin wasn’t  _ too  _ far. But it wasn’t exactly too close either. It was a bit of a trek to the shower house from there, but beggars can’t be choosers. He adjusted his backpack and started to head towards his cabin when Ryan suddenly sidled up next to him out of nowhere. “Hey, Josty, right?” Ryan grinned down at him.

Tyson had to tilt his head up to look at him, because holy shit, the dude was like half a foot taller than him. “Yep, that’s me. Gravy, huh?” Tyson laughed. “I’ll admit, that’s quite the camp name.”

Ryan sighed and shook his head. “Yeah, I know. I couldn’t come up with anything else.”

Tyson thought for a moment. “Well, you could’ve gone with something pretty dark or creepy, considering the fact that your last name is  _ Graves _ ,” he said.

“I guess,” Ryan said, “But I’d rather not freak out the kids too much, you know?” 

The two of them continued to make small chat as they walked into their cabin, which contained four separate beds, one in each corner of the room, but one would remain empty. Tyson wasn’t exactly thrilled about having to share a room with two other people that he didn’t know too well, but he knew his attitude would change. He just needed a bit of time to readjust.

Sam joined the two of them in their cabin eventually, and they all chatted as they unpacked. Tyson learned that the both of them were from Canada too, which honestly made Tyson feel a bit more at home. He learned that Sam had been a CIT at another big camp in Nashville, and that Ryan had gone to camps in New York but had never gone anywhere quite as “wild” as Camp Lakeview.

Not too long after the three of them had settled in, they suddenly heard knocking on the cabin door. Sam stood up to answer it, but before he had a chance, Gabe was letting himself into their cabin. “Hey guys, how’s everything holding up in here?” Gabe asked with a smile.

“The beds are a little small, but other than that it’s pretty comfy,” Ryan said. 

Sam nodded in agreement. “Kind of dusty, though.”

Gabe laughed. “Yeah, I guess we did slack a bit on cleaning, but this  _ is  _ a summer camp… Anyway, since you three are new to Camp Lakeview, I wanted to show you guys around and introduce you to some of the other counselors who weren’t at the meeting earlier.”

 

//

 

Gabe led them all back to the lodge, where he took them inside and showed them the dining hall. It was quite spacious, with rows and rows of wooden tables and benches, and at the far end there was a rather comfy little area that had a few couches surrounding a fireplace. “This, of course, is where we eat,” Gabe said. “It’s pretty nice. Don’t forget, breakfast starts at ten, lunch at two, and dinner at six. No earlier, no later. Soda is… kind of weird about being punctual.”

“Soda?” Tyson asked.

“He’s one of the cooks. You’ll see,” Gabe said. He led them to a set of double doors near the side of the dining hall with plaques across them that read ‘Kitchen: staff entry only’. As soon as Gabe opened the door, they heard a cacophony of yelling coming from inside.

“Hey, this is a summer camp for KIDS, Soda, they lose all functioning if they don’t have sugar every now and then!”

“Tyson, they have to have all their food groups. They’re growing. They can’t eat s’mores and ice cream after every meal. It’s not healthy.”

“Excuse you, these kids will be burning, like, a LOT of calories everyday here at camp-”

“You and I both know that’s not how it works. We’re not feeding the kids sugar every day. End of story.”

“But-”

Gabe cleared his throat, gaining the attention of the two arguing men. “Tyson, Soda, I’d like to introduce you to our new counselors.”

The man who Tyson had noted was the Other-Tyson immediately perked up, wanting to argue, but Gabe shot him down with a raise of his eyebrow. He sighed and grumbled to himself before striding over to the group. “Sorry about that, guys. We’re trying to get our meals planned for the next few weeks, but  _ someone _ ,” Other-Tyson glared over his shoulder, earning an eye roll from Soda, “is picking a fight about it. Anyway, I’m Tyson Barrie, one of the cooks here. My camp name’s T-Beauty.” 

Gabe sighed exasperatedly and pinched the bridge of his nose. “For the last time Tys, no one calls you that.”

Tyson Senior huffed, crossing his arms in mock offense. “Well, you’re all missing out. It’s a bomb ass nickname, and I’m proud of it.” Gabe shook his head and ignored him. Tyson began to see why everyone was acting weird about having another Tyson at camp. Other-Tyson seemed to be... a bit of a handful.

“Anyway,” Gabe said. “These are our new guys. This is Ryan, camp name Gravy,” Ryan waved. “Sam, camp name G,” Sam nodded at them. “And… Tyson. Camp name Josty.” Gabe said smugly. Tyson smiled a bit awkwardly. “Cool to have another Tyson at camp,” he said, trying to be nice.

A slightly mischievous smile crept onto the older Tyson’s face, and it definitely did not help Tyson feel any better. “So we got ourselves another Tyson, huh? This should be interesting,” Tyson Barrie said in a somewhat singsong voice.

Tyson was already intimidated enough as is, so he stumbled over a response. This was going off to a great start. “Uh, yeah, totally.” he mumbled out, trying to sound as natural as he possibly could. He must have failed on that end though, because Soda eventually walked up and steered Other-Tyson away from them. “Come on Tys, quit freaking out the newbies,” Soda said. “I’m Carl Soderberg, the other cook here. I mostly just do my best to keep ‘T-Beauty’ in check.” He said to the group. “You’re welcome here in the kitchen basically whenever. Just wash your hands before you touch anything, and for the love of god, put things back where they go. This kitchen is already disorganized enough as is.”

“Oh really, and whose fault is that?” Tyson senior yelled from the other side of the kitchen.

Gabe quickly interjected before they could be stuck in the middle of another one of the cooks’ altercations, and ushered the three younger counselors back out into the dining hall.

“Sorry about that, guys,” Gabe said. “Brutes can be a little… overwhelming sometimes. He’ll calm down though, he’s always like this at the beginning of camp. He just needs his constant sugar fix or he’ll become a nightmare…” Gabe trailed off, looking like he was remembering something rather unpleasant. Tyson definitely did not want any further details on that end.

 

//

 

Eventually Gabe finished showing them around the upper level of the lodge, ending with what Gabe had referred to as their ‘makeshift med-bay’. Taking them inside, he introduced them to the guy who was essentially the camp nurse.

“Alexander Kerfoot, at your service.” He said with a goofy smile, shaking each of their hands. “You can call me Kerfy, though. Welcome to the med-bay! We’ve got just about everything you’d need in the case of a camp-related injury. Bandaids, ice packs, aloe vera, you name it.” Tyson looked around the room, which looked and even smelled like a mini hospital. It honestly made Tyson feel a little uneasy. Kerfy seemed like a great guy, but Tyson hoped that he wouldn’t have to visit him in the med-bay too often.

 

//

 

Gabe led them to the bottom half of the lodge, which was a little worse for wear when compared to the upper half, but it was still pretty nice. He showed them to the staff lounge, which was a smaller room with a few couches, a tv, a completely filled bookcase, and a coffee machine, which Tyson was relieved to see. He wasn’t sure how he’d survive three weeks without caffeine.

Next, Gabe took them into what looked to be the craft room. Several landscape paintings hung from the walls, and there were several worn wooden tables covered in dried paint, along with rows of cabinets that had labels depicting different art supplies. There were two long counters on either side of the room, one containing several canvases and bottles of acrylic paint, while the other was lined with multiple sinks. A stereo at the corner of the room was playing music from some 80’s band that Tyson couldn’t quite place his finger on. He loved the general feel of the room though- it was very cozy and down to earth.

“Well, I guess you’ll have to meet Colin later,” Gabe said with a sigh. “He’s our… craft counselor. If that’s what you want to call him.”

“Craft counselor?” Ryan laughed.

“Yeah, he’s huge into like, singing campfire songs, painting, whittling little sculptures out of sticks… that kind of stuff. He’s fun,” Gabe replied with a shrug.

 

//

 

After a thorough tour of the rest of the bottom level of the lodge, (which consisted mainly of dusty storage rooms that most likely had way too many spiders for Tyson’s liking) Gabe led them back outside.

“Alright, I’ve got one more thing to show you guys, and to me, it’s one of the best parts of Camp Lakeview. After all, it  _ is  _ what gave the place its name.”

Gabe led them down to the dock of the lake which Tyson was really excited about- getting in the water was always one of his favorite parts of camp. He’d noticed the canoes and kayaks lined along the shore of the lake, and he was eager to try them out.

As they walked along the dock, they headed to the small boathouse that was nestled into the trees on the shore, but still connected to the edge of the dock. The door was closed, but Tyson could see someone moving around inside.

Gabe knocked on the door, shouting, “Hey Compher, you in there? I’m showing the newbies around.” 

A muffled “Yeah, one sec,” came in response.

The door to the boathouse opened, and to Tyson, it felt like time froze as this ‘Compher’ dude stepped out.

Okay, Tyson would never admit to having a “type”. He was into whoever he was into, and he was perfectly fine with that. But this guy, there was something about him that just instantaneously caused Tyson’s brain to stop working. He was hot as hell with his dark eyes, his neatly trimmed beard, and god, wearing a tank top should be illegal, because holy shit. He was just. Wow.

“-and Josty,” Gabe said, causing Tyson to snap out of it.

“Oh, uh- hi,” Tyson stuttered, feeling a bit warmer than he had earlier. Did the temperature rise? Yeah, let’s go with that. God, he hoped that he wasn’t staring.

“Cool meeting you guys. If you couldn’t tell, I’m the lifeguard here. Name’s JT Compher, but you can call me Comphy,” JT said with a bright grin. Tyson’s heart definitely only fluttered a little bit at the sight of his smile.

JT talked with them about the dos and don’ts of the lake ( _ Lake Grizzly _ , Tyson had learned); reminding them to wear sunscreen and their water shoes, showing them how to use the floatation devices in the case of an emergency, running down how to properly put on a life jacket. “It’s important stuff,” JT had said. “The water is fun, but you never know what could happen.”

Tyson nodded along to everything JT said with enthusiasm. And he definitely wouldn’t admit that he zoned out a bit to stare at JT’s arms. No way.

 

//

 

The rest of the day was spent setting up the final touches for registration day- making sure the camper’s cabins were set up properly, organizing paperwork, or just helping wherever help was needed. A majority of the counselors simply lounged about, enjoying their last day to themselves before they’d be stuck following a pretty heavy schedule.

Tyson decided that he needed to clear his head after meeting JT, because, whoa. What if he was actually a huge dick? What if he was straight? Sure he was hot, but Tyson wouldn’t risk his dignity (or his job) for a hot guy who was a complete asshole. He needed to get to know this guy better before jumping to any conclusions.

He decided to head back to the lodge and see if Kerfy needed help, since he seemed like a nice enough guy. They ended up just chatting for a while, talking about school and Canada and whatever else came to mind, and it was honestly easy talking to Kerfy. It was comfortable. Tyson felt like he could become friends with this guy pretty easily.

 

//

 

The first day of having kids at camp started off with a bang.

Quite literally too, as the door to Tyson’s cabin was slammed open at about eight in the morning by none other than EJ, who yelled at them until they were up and getting ready.

Tyson ate breakfast half asleep at a table in the dining hall, listening as two counselors he vaguely remembered being called ‘Rants’ and ‘Z’ argued about something relating to the proper way to eat toast. Or something like that. Either way, it was amusing.

He eventually sauntered back down to the shower house to clean up and make himself presentable for when he had to meet the kids and their parents, and his cheeks definitely did  _ not  _ turn red when he saw JT come out of the showers with nothing but a towel around his waist. Nope. No way.

After heading back to his cabin and applying what felt like half a bottle of sunscreen and bug spray, Tyson checked his watch and headed to the lodge. It was showtime.

Tyson would be lying if he said he wasn’t at least a little intimidated by the crowd of families that showed up for registration day. There really was  _ so much _ work to be done. Each kid’s parents had to fill out a bunch more paperwork (on top of the online registration forms), they had to get kids sorted into their cabins, and they had to answer a LOT of questions from worrisome family members.

It ended up going over quite well- none of the parents were too overbearing and the kids didn’t cause too much mischief. Yet.

They’d had the kids go to the amphitheatre, where Tyson and a few other counselors were assigned to keep an eye on them all before what Gabe had vaguely referred to as the ‘First Day Ceremony’.

Looking around, Tyson noticed that they’d gotten a pretty diverse group of kids. Some were loud and boisterous, while others were quieter and kept to themselves. Being around them all made Tyson nervous about whether or not he was going to be a good counselor. He had always been a bit awkward around kids, but hey, he’d made it this far. There was no turning back, and he was going make sure to rock at his job and try to help these kids have a fun summer.

Not too long later, all the kids were accounted for, the parents had left, and it was time for the summer at Camp Lakeview to truly begin.

Once the kids were seated and quieted down, Gabe gave a rather lengthy, surprisingly inspirational speech, laying down the ground rules while explaining the values of the camp and how a summer there was a summer spent improving oneself, etc. The whole thing made Tyson understand why Gabe was the head counselor, but it was still very drawn out. 

Near the end of the speech, EJ had stepped forward and began talking about how “despite everything our lovely Captain Landeskog just said, we’re still here to have fun and I’ll be damned if that doesn’t happen” which elicited a cheer from the kids, but left Tyson a bit shell shocked. 

After they’d wrapped everything up, they split into three groups, all led by the head counselors, and showed the kids around the campground. Luckily the group that Tyson was with wasn’t too rowdy or mischievous, and they actually paid attention as Nate talked to them.

Once they’d reached the lake, JT had the kids line up to try on life jackets and to explain to them how to properly use all the different boats, and okay, Tyson maybe swooned a little because JT was incredibly good with kids. It was unfair, really. No one should be allowed to look that hot while showing twelve year olds how to work a paddle boat. 

Nate must have caught him staring, because he came up beside him and bumped their shoulders together, raising an eyebrow at him knowingly. Tyson decided to try and ignore him, turning to help out a kid who’d managed to get the zipper on his lifejacket stuck. He did  _ not  _ need anyone else knowing about his little crush right now, especially not one of the guys who was technically in charge of him.

The rest of the day was surprisingly smooth. They took some to get to know the kids better, which ended with Tyson internally vowing to adopt all of these wholesome kids as his younger siblings, and eventually the entire camp got back together for lunch. They played some little outdoorsy games just to pass time until dinner, and then some of the counselors went out to build a few campfires for the kids to roast marshmallows.

Tyson ended up joining a few of the notably quiet kids at one of the fires, talking with them and helping them make ‘smores. Despite it being summertime, it was growing a little chilly outside, so the heat from the fire felt nice. He was just starting to relax, gazing into the fire as the kids next to him chatted idly, when he felt a nudge at his thigh.

“Hey, we’re gonna come sit here if you guys don’t mind,” Tyson looked up to find Kerfy with a bag of marshmallows in hand, JT trailing behind him. “Brutes is practically inhaling all the marshmallows, and I’d rather not deal with him when he’s on a sugar high.” A few of the kids laughed, and Tyson patted the ground next to him. “Sure, you can sit with us. We’re having a buttload of fun over here, right guys?” Tyson smiled and held his fist out for the kids to fistbump. 

Kerfy ended up sitting in between a couple of the more talkative kids who had been to Camp Lakeview before, while JT decided to sit next to Tyson. Tyson internally had a mini freak out moment, but he calmed himself down. This wasn’t the first time he’d talked to a hot dude, and it definitely wouldn’t be the last.

Tyson didn’t dare make the first move, so they sat in a surprisingly comfortable silence, listening to the conversations around them and watching as Kerfy tried and failed to not burn his marshmallows.

“So, how was your first day?”

Tyson just about jumped out of his skin at the sudden sound of JT’s voice, but he did his best to act cool about it. 

JT had his body turned towards Tyson, his dark eyes focused on him. It honestly felt like a lot, even though it really wasn’t.

“It was awesome, really,” Tyson replied, “Camp Lakeview’s beautiful. And I like working with kids,” He internally winced a little after saying that since it wasn’t entirely the truth, but hey, he was trying to sound cool and caring in front of a hot dude he’d just barely met. 

JT responded with a bright smile, which definitely did not help Tyson’s nerves. He leaned back, resting his weight on the palms of his hands, keeping his eyes trained on Tyson, and if Tyson didn’t know any better he would’ve thought of it as a rather flirtatious pose. He felt his face grow warmer, which, it was already pretty warm thanks to the fire, but JT somehow made it worse.

“That’s awesome! First days can always be a bit of a wild card, so it’s good that yours went smoothly.” 

Somehow, Tyson managed to actually have a conversation with JT, which felt a little strained at first but began to feel more natural the more they talked. Although, they were eventually cut short by the sky growing dark and Gabe’s insistence that everyone get ready for bed. JT had gotten up and offered his hand to help up Tyson, who accepted it a little too eagerly.

Once the fires were safely put out and the kids were snugly in their cabins, Tyson bid JT goodnight and headed back to his own cabin. He smelled like campfire smoke and sunscreen and probably would need to shower tomorrow, but then again it was rather useless. No one was ever clean at summer camp. That was just how it worked.

Sam and Ryan eventually came in as well, and as they all wound down after the long day, Tyson’s mind kept drifting back to his interaction with JT. He couldn’t get over those dark, piercing eyes and his smooth, deep voice. It didn’t help that JT was charming as hell.

Tyson sighed and clutched the blankets closer to his chest, silently cursing himself. He’d only known JT for two days, but this guy was definitely going get him into some serious trouble.

 

//

 

The next couple of days seemed to fly by to Tyson. Since they were still trying to get into the swing of running camp, things were still pretty mellow, and they hadn’t done anything incredibly exciting. 

EJ had led them on a nature walk around the lake, pointing out different kinds of trees, plants, and birds. That whole thing had gone well until one of the kids got stung by a bee and had to be rushed back to the lodge since he was allergic. And okay, maybe Tyson overreacted, but he wasn’t a medical expert. It wasn’t his fault he had no idea how to treat bee stings.

They also tried to teach the kids archery. They’d set up a few rather beat up foam targets at one end of the amphitheater, and equipped the kids with cheap wooden bows and arrows with dull tips. One of the counselors who had a nice jawline and a mullet (Gabe called him Mullet Magic, which, yeah, the dude had a rockin’ mullet) was the one who instructed the kids, and Tyson elected to stand back and watch until Gabe shoved a bigger, adult sized bow into his hands and practically forced him to try it out. 

Gabe had stayed right behind him the whole time, most likely to guide him if need be, but his presence was more than a little intimidating to Tyson, and he’d ended up blaming Gabe for his bad shot. But hey. At least nobody got hurt.

 

//

 

Fridays at the camp were deemed to be days where everyone around Camp Lakeview could basically run around and do whatever they wanted within reason. The counselors were spread out, making sure the kids stayed within the campgrounds and that no one got hurt, but they made sure to have a little fun themselves.

Tyson hadn’t had an excuse to get into the lake yet, but plenty of kids were on the water now, so he decided to jump on the opportunity. The only other counselor who wasn’t already busy was Tyson Barrie, and Tyson  _ really  _ wanted to try canoeing but he definitely did not want to go by himself, though luckily the older Tyson had agreed to go with him.

Over the past few days, Tyson had noticed that Gabe was right- Other-Tyson really did calm down (a little), and he was actually a lot of fun to be around. He’d learned that there was “A Thing” between him and Willy, the craft counselor, but he hadn’t seen it in person (yet) and honestly he wasn’t sure if he wanted to. At this point, Tyson just learned to accept that the guy was full of surprises.

Although, he was still more than a little surprised to see Other-Tyson walking up to the dock with his shirt off. Tyson couldn’t help but stare at first, and it wasn’t for the same reason that he’d stared at JT; Tyson Barrie had two crescent shaped scars directly underneath his pecs. 

It took Tyson a moment to recognize what exactly they were, and as soon as it registered with his brain, he quickly looked away, trying to act natural.

Tyson Barrie wasn’t the first trans guy he’d met, and he definitely wouldn’t be the last, but it was just. A bit of a surprise, just like every other part of Tyson Barrie.

The older Tyson must not have noticed him staring, which, thank god. He simply strolled up to the younger Tyson and ruffled his hair, asking if he was ready to get into the lake.

In the process of getting their canoe onto the lake, Tyson Barrie only caused them to lose their canoe once, which ended with him basically jumping into the lake to try to bring it back, but Tyson would still consider it a success (even if Barrie initially tried to blame it all on him). 

Once they’d successfully gotten their canoe off the shore, they paddled around the circumference of the lake, Barrie chattered on about anything and everything, and Tyson only half listened, really, but he at least made an effort to try and respond at the right moments.

After Barrie had finished one of his thoughts, he stayed quiet for a moment, which actually startled Tyson. He was just about to ask if he’d said something wrong, when Barrie cut in before he could even open his mouth. “Hey, Josty?”

“Yeah, Brutes?” Tyson replied, turning to look at him.

“Thanks for not bringing up, uh. This.” His voice was quiet, shy almost, as he gestured to his chest scars.    
  
Tyson responded with a comforting smile. “Of course, man. It’s cool with me, really.”

“That’s reassuring. I always forget about it, you know,” Barrie sighed. “It’s just so natural to me at this point. We’ve had some counselors in the past who haven’t exactly… agreed with it.”   


Tyson furrowed his brow as he processed what Barrie had told him. “No shit… I know how it can be. That’s fucked up… what’d Gabe do about it?”

“He told them they didn’t belong at Camp Lakeview,” Barrie said smugly. “Said that they had an hour to get their transphobic asses off the campground or he would throw all their shit in the lake.”

“You know… I’m not surprised,” Tyson laughed. That sounded exactly like something Gabe would do. Tyson was beginning to think that Gabe was more of a camp dad than a camp counselor at this point.

After doing a couple more laps around the lake and a terrifying experience in which Barrie just about capsized them, they headed back to the shore. They returned their life jackets to the boathouse and grabbed their beach towels, but as they walked along the dock, Barrie stopped midway and crossed his arms, staring at Tyson, his eyes narrowed.

Tyson froze. Oh god, what had he fucked up this time? He didn’t dare say anything, so he stayed quiet, waiting for Barrie to explain himself.

“You’re into Comphy, aren’t you.” Barrie deadpanned.

“What makes you think that?” Tyson asked slowly. Surely he couldn’t have been THAT obvious.

Barrie raised an eyebrow at him. “Dude. When we were out on the lake, you looked back at the shore, like. Every five seconds.”

“I was… making sure the kids were safe?” Tyson internally facepalmed. He couldn’t have been less convincing.

“Uh huh, yeah. That’s Comphy’s job, buddy, I’m pretty sure he’s got it,” Barrie said, gesturing to JT who was sitting in a tall lifeguard chair on the end of the dock, keeping an eye out.

Tyson sighed, defeated. “Alright, I do. So what? He’s probably not even into guys, so it doesn’t really matter.”

Suddenly Sam and Ryan strolled down the dock, chatting, beach towels in hand. Tyson had really, really hoped that they hadn’t overheard him.

“Well, guess we’ll just have to wait and see,” Barrie had a mischievous grin on his face. “Go get him, tiger.” He suddenly shoved Tyson off the edge of the dock, causing him to fall right into the lake.

Shocked, Tyson immediately swam up to the surface, sputtering and shaking, because holy shit the water was cold. He looked up at the dock to find JT rushing over, crouching at the edge of the dock with Barrie smirking over his shoulder.

“Whoa, Josty, you okay?” JT asked, reaching a hand out to help him up onto the dock. Tyson took his hand and hoisted himself up onto the rough surface, glaring at Barrie the whole time. “Y-yeah, I’m good. Must’ve slipped,” he lied, watching as Barrie’s smirk grew into his signature smug grin. That asshole really pushed him into the lake just to get him to talk to JT. Tyson was SO going to get him back for this.

“Holy shit, dude, you’re shivering,” JT said, resting a hand on Tyson’s forearm. He was completely soaked and freezing cold, and his beach towel was in his hands when he’d got shoved into the lake, so it was dripping wet. At this point, Tyson felt like he couldn’t be more embarrassed.

Barrie made up some excuse about needing to help Willy with something in the craft room and left Tyson and JT with a wave and a not-so-subtle wink at Tyson. Tyson was SERIOUSLY going to get him back.

JT led Tyson back to the boathouse and let him use one of his own beach towels, which, okay, Tyson’s brain short circuited a bit because it  _ smelled like him _ and it was definitely going to kill Tyson. He toweled off and wrapped it around himself, still shivering slightly. He stood outside the boathouse, watching the kids play in the water and basking in the sun when he suddenly felt hands on his arms through the towel, rubbing up and down trying to warm him up.

“You’re still cold,” JT’s voice rumbled from behind him, and holy shit was Tyson dreaming?

“Yeah,” Tyson replied quietly. He knew that if he said anything else, it would be something humiliating.

JT’s hands stilled at Tyson’s elbows. “You should probably go change. Wet clothes will just make you more cold,” There was something odd about the tone of JT’s voice that Tyson couldn’t place, so he turned to look at him, but JT’s face was purely neutral. Either way, it was still a bit… weird.

“Yeah,” Tyson said again, “You’re right. I’m just gonna-” He gestured towards their cabins. Tyson shrugged off the beach towel, going to give it back to JT, but he held up an insistent hand.

“No, you can hold onto it. Just until, you know.” Tyson noted that JT’s cheeks had gone red, and it definitely was not because of a sunburn. JT wasn’t that careless when it came to being outdoors. The moment felt a bit awkward and strained, but at the same time, Tyson felt like there was something more there that both of them were missing.

“Alright,” Tyson said smiling at JT, trying to lighten things up a little. “I appreciate it.” He wrapped the towel around his shoulders again and waved goodbye to JT, heading back to the cabins.

He definitely did not think about the feel of JT’s hands on his arms the whole way back. Nope. No way.

 

//

 

The next day, the entire camp had woken up an hour earlier than usual, as they were about to go on a hike to a small clearing that was just up the mountain. There, they’d planned on teaching the kids how to build shelters, and they’d camp out under the stars for the night.

The morning was spent packing up supplies, which ended up taking more time than needed.

Kerfy wanted to essentially pack the whole med-bay, which was literally impossible. There was absolutely no reason they were going to need that many band-aids, plus no one besides Tyson offered to help him carry anything.

Barrie and Soda got into, yet again, another argument regarding what food they would bring, and it ended with Willy coming in and quite literally kissing Barrie until he shut up and let Soda do his thing, which scarred Tyson more than a little bit.

And to top it all off, EJ wanted to equip the kids with machetes and pocket knives to “teach them how to use survival tools” which was honestly just a liability waiting to happen.

Oh, and of course, one of the counselors that Tyson didn’t know too well (everyone called him Ghetto, which confused Tyson a bit) ended up getting bit by a spider while trying to dig tarps out of one of the storage rooms. But hey, at least it wasn’t venomous.

So, Tyson had a right to be a little nervous about their little “adventure”, as Nate kept calling it.

The hike itself wasn’t too bad, though. They followed a slightly worn down trail that weaved through the trees, eventually leading them to the rocky side of the mountain where they followed a dirt path. Tyson had stayed in the back with a few kids who began to fall a bit behind and gave them some words of encouragement, reminding them to go at their own pace.

After about another half hour of hiking, they eventually came upon the huge clearing. It was grassy and had several patches of colorful wildflowers, and the forest surrounding it gave off a feeling of protection.

As they sat their stuff down, EJ and one of the bigger, quieter counselors with a European accent gave a rundown on what the kids needed to look for in order to build their shelters. Tyson really hoped that he wouldn’t be roped into doing this. His creativity and survival abilities weren’t exactly the greatest, so he crossed his fingers in hopes that he’d get lucky and be allowed to sleep in one of the huge tents they’d brought along instead.

Which, of course, EJ had a ‘Vets first’ clause on the tents too, so Tyson was stuck sleeping outside.

He tried to help Ryan and Sam make a thing that sort of looked like it could act as a shelter. Sort of. In reality, it was just a tarp tied to a bunch of sticks in an awkward tent shape, but hey. It worked.

Tyson ended up helping some of the kids with their shelters, which, okay, they got  _ way  _ more creative than Tyson would’ve thought. Some of them managed to create elaborate little structures that were seriously impressive and not just thrown together like what Tyson had done. He was honestly impressed.

They ended up spending most of the day running around the forest, playing all sorts of games that made Tyson feel like he was ten again. Some of the kids continued to add onto their shelters, which Tyson was more than a little surprised by, and a handful of kids simply just wandered, taking in the sights and enjoying nature.

But by the time they’d eaten their tin foil campfire dinners and gotten everything packed up for the next day, everyone was exhausted. Tyson felt like he could barely keep his eyes open as he began to roll his sleeping bag out underneath his tarp-tent-thing. 

Ryan and Sam weren’t around, which was a bit odd, considering it was technically their tarp-tent-thing too. They’d really been spending a lot of time together, but Tyson tried not to think too much into it.

He eventually got into his sleeping bag, trying to get as comfortable as he possibly could on the hard ground. He’d just began to drift off when he suddenly heard what sounded like someone saying his name.

Initially Tyson brushed it off, thinking it was directed towards the other Tyson. That mix up tended to happen quite a lot, and it had gotten annoying. At this point, Tyson had gotten used to ignoring his first name and only responding to ‘Josty’.

So he finally was about to fall asleep, until-

“Josty, dude,” the voice said a bit louder.

Tyson’s eyes flew open to find JT crouching at the edge of the tarp-thing, his sleeping bag in hand. “Hey, is it cool if I sleep over here with you?”

Tyson rubbed his eyes. He had to be dreaming. There was no way this was real.

“I thought you were gonna sleep in the tent?” Tyson asked sleepily.

“Yeah, but it’s kinda crowded in there. I’d prefer to sleep somewhere where I can actually breathe. Plus Kerfy snores.” JT grinned sheepishly at him, and Tyson couldn’t help but snicker to himself.

“Of course Kerfy snores. But actually, Sam and Ryan are technically supposed to be sharing with me, so…”

“I actually gave my spot in the tent to G, and Grubi let Gravy take his, so. It’s all worked out.” JT replied, a hint too fast. It made Tyson wonder, but there was no way in hell he was going to bring anything up yet. Not right now.

Tyson scooted over, patting the ground next to him. “Sure, yeah,” he said with tired enthusiasm, “Just know that I’m a sleeptalker.”

“I think I can handle that,” JT laughed, crawling up next to Tyson to roll out his own sleeping bag. Tyson’s brain felt like it was going to self destruct. JT was so, so close. 

Once JT had gotten settled in, Tyson’s nerves had gone through the roof, but he forced himself to calm down and not do anything too weird. Instead, he did the bro thing to do by saying good night and turning to face away from JT.

“G’night Josty,” JT mumbled from behind him. 

The last thing Tyson heard before he fell asleep was JT sighing and turning over in his sleeping bag.

 

//

 

Tyson woke up to the sound of rain.

It started out soft. Nothing but a drizzle, barely audible, so he ignored it. A little rain never hurt anyone, even if they were sleeping out in the open under a tarp.

So, he tuned it out. He turned in his sleeping bag, and unconsciously pressed himself against JT’s side, not even really thinking about what he was doing, but hey, he was cold. 

The sound of the soft rain was calming, lulling Tyson back to sleep, until it wasn’t. 

The rain eventually evolved into a downpour, and the sound of thunder caused Tyson to jump, his eyes flying open. Peering out of the tent-thing, he saw that it was still mostly dark, but there was no way the rain was going to stop anytime soon. Which, awesome. Tyson knew something was gonna go wrong, but he definitely hadn’t expected  _ this _ .

Next to him, JT sat up on his elbows, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. Tyson watched as he looked outside as well, eyes narrowing in concern.

“Holy shit, it’s really storming out there, isn’t it?” JT said, his voice still rough from sleep. Typically Tyson would find his tone of voice pretty hot, but right now, Tyson was a bit freaked out by the storm.

“Yeah, seems like it’s coming down pretty hard… should we like, grab Gabe or something? We  _ are  _ downhill and things could get ugly if it continues like this for too long…”

JT opened his mouth to respond but was cut off by the sound of footsteps stomping through the wet grass. Tyson froze, and he felt JT tense up next to him. He knew it was probably just another counselor or one of the kids, but it was dark and raining, which wasn’t exactly the most comforting combination.

The steps grew closer, but Tyson relaxed when he saw the glow of a flashlight shine outside their tent. He went to crawl forward and investigate, when suddenly the light was directed right into his eyes. “Whoa, hey, watch where you’re shining that!” Tyson yelped, quickly covering his face.

“Sorry Josty,” The voice was high pitched- it was some of the kids. “Mine and Jax’s shelter collapsed, and-”

“Whoa whoa whoa, hold on, get in here,” JT said, scooting further to the edge of the tent-thing to make room, “Let’s not have you guys get anymore soaked than you already are.”

Tyson followed JT’s lead, and the kids crawled under the tarp. They had their backpacks on, which made it a little hard for them to fit, but they made it work.

“It’s super cold,” the other one, Jax, said, “And I don’t think we’re the only one whose shelter was destroyed…” He hugged his knees close to his chest. “Kye, didn’t you see someone heading to the other counselor’s tents?”

“I did, yeah,” Kye replied. He turned to JT and Tyson, and the worried look on his face honestly broke Tyson’s heart more than a little. “What are we gonna do?”

Tyson took a breath and wracked his brain, trying to come up with the responsible counselor answer instead of the terrified twenty-year-old answer.

“Well, it’s still pretty dark, and I doubt the rain’s gonna let up anytime soon… At this point the best bet might be to head back, but, that’s up to Landy. It’s gonna be okay though. I promise.” Tyson tried his best to sound confident. There was no way he was going to let these kids down.

JT suddenly rested a hand on Tyson’s shoulder, and he may or may not have jumped about a foot in the air at the sudden contact.

“Josty’s right,” JT told the kids. Tyson’s cheeks definitely did not heat up a little. “It’s gonna be alright. We’ll wait a bit, see if Landy or any of the other counselors wake up and come to a decision.”

“We walked past one of the the tents and heard snoring,” Jax said, smiling. “Like, it sounded like a bear. I don’t think anyone in there got any sleep tonight…”

Tyson noticed JT roll his eyes, but he had a bright smile on his face. “Yeah, that’s Kerfy alright. You guys oughta make fun of him for it next time you see him. He hates it,” JT prompted, causing both of the kids to burst into giggles.

Tyson smiled, glad to see the kids in higher spirits again, and glanced back outside, peering into the darkness. It was gonna be a long morning.

 

//

 

It wasn’t too much longer before Gabe woke up the whole camp, did a headcount, and had everyone heading down the mountain.

The kids moved in groups, holding their tarps over their heads as they hiked through the rain, and the counselors made sure that no one strayed away. It was the absolute wrong timing to lose a kid.

Once they’d gotten back to Camp Lakeview, they did one last count, and luckily everyone had been accounted for. Tyson was honestly relieved. He wasn’t sure what he’d do if they lost someone. 

Despite the fact they were safely back at camp, everyone was cold, soaked, and tired. Tyson felt like he could fall asleep standing up, and some of the other counselors looked exactly the same. But, they needed to get the kids taken care of first.

Thankfully, it didn’t take too long, and pretty soon Tyson was stumbling back to his cabin alongside Ryan and Sam.

The feeling of dry clothes was honestly like heaven to Tyson at that point, and he was on the verge of falling asleep when he heard someone in the cabin get up and move to another bed.

Tyson, once again, wasn’t gonna think into it too much.

 

//

 

EJ made sure that everyone slept in the next morning. After their little adventure the night before, no one in their right mind would want to wake up at their usual time.

It was nice, but it screwed with Tyson’s internal clock a bit. 

He felt sluggish when he got out of bed, and his legs felt like they were made out of lead. Tyson cursed EJ for making him and the other newbies stay  in the furthest cabin. He did  _ not _ feel like making the trek to the lodge for coffee, but he knew that he’d regret it if he didn’t.

Tyson took a super fast shower beforehand, trying to see if that would help wake him up a bit.

It didn’t.

Once he reached the lodge, he headed straight to the staff lounge, but not without making sure to fistbump and wave at a few of the kids along way.

The coffee was shitty, but it was so, so perfect at the same time. 

Tyson decided to grab a couple teabags and a cup of hot water for Kerfy, since Tyson learned that he preferred tea over coffee. He headed up to the med-bay, only to find the “Do Not Disturb” sign up on the door. Tyson had also learned that Kerfy would sometimes hang that sign up when he just wanted a little peace and quiet, but Tyson made sure to knock just in case.

“Who is it?” Kerfy yelled through the door.

“It’s your favorite Tyson!” Tyson yelled back. 

“Hey!” The sound of Barrie’s annoyed voice surprised Tyson, but before he could ask any questions, Kerfy was opening the door to let him in.

Barrie was sitting on the little bed thing on the side of the room, with Willy standing beside him, trying to get some sort of medication out of a vial with a syringe. Barrie looked pale.

Tyson stood there, staring, a little confused and more than a little concerned.

“Willy’s giving Brutes his T shot,” Kerfy said nonchalantly as he gratefully took the tea from Tyson. 

Okay, that actually made sense to Tyson. He was just a little… unsure at first.

“Wait, why aren’t you doing it? Aren’t you like, the camp nurse?” Tyson asked Kerfy.

“I don’t trust Kerfy, not after the last time he gave me my shot,” Barrie interjected before Kerfy could say anything.

“Oh god, here we go…” Willy sighed, shaking his head.

“It’s not my fault the needle broke! And hey, at least it was still sticking out of your skin!”

“Sure, but still! It was fucking terrifying! I fainted!”

“It’s not my fault that you can’t even look at a needle without losing your shit!”

“Okay, but-”

“Babe.” Willy laid his hand on Barrie’s shoulder, and he immediately went quiet.

_ Holy shit _ , Tyson thought. Gabe really wasn’t lying when he said that Willy could get Barrie to shut up. It seemed impossible to Tyson, but now that he thought about it, Willy’s collected, down-to-earth nature counteracted Barrie’s rather chaotic intensity perfectly. 

Barrie crossed his arms and huffed, glaring up at Willy. He was trying hard to be intimidating, but failed miserably. 

“We’ve gotta do your shot now, okay?” Willy made sure that he held the syringe out of Barrie’s line of sight. Tyson’s heart melted a little at how considerate he was. 

Barrie nodded, defeated, and turned to look at Tyson. “Josty, since you’re here and not a traitor like  _ some people _ ,” (he shot a quick glare at Kerfy, who just shook his head and sighed) “You’re gonna help out.”

“Uh… okay?” This is definitely not how Tyson expected to spend his afternoon. Whatever it was, it would either go perfectly fine, or since it was Tyson Barrie they were talking about, it would go wrong and someone would probably end up being punched.

Barrie held out his hands towards Tyson. “Just hold my hands while I get my shot. I get kinda.... Jumpy, I guess.”

So, yeah, Tyson was right.

Tyson walked over and held Barrie’s hands in his own, and okay, maybe this wasn’t the best idea. Barrie practically held his hands in a death-grip and he hadn’t even received the shot yet. 

Willy knelt down next to Barrie and moved his shorts up to bare his thigh, wiping his skin with an alcohol wipe. Tyson watched Barrie squirm at the cold touch, and he’d be lying if he said he wasn’t a little anxious as well. He was never a big fan of needles either.

He watched as Willy silently pricked the needle into Barrie’s skin, and-

“FUCK,” Barrie yelped, gripping Tyson’s hands impossibly harder. Tyson winced as he watched Willy struggle to actually inject Barrie with the testosterone. He heard it was difficult, but he never imagined it would be  _ that  _ difficult.

As soon as the whole thing was over, Barrie relaxed his death-grip on Tyson’s hands and Tyson stepped back, flexing his fingers. He was more than a little relieved to have his hands not broken and back to himself.

“Wow, he was a lot calmer than usual,” Kerfy said with a curious smile, watching as Barrie rubbed at the spot on his thigh where the injection was. “Typically he kicks.”

Tyson swallowed nervously. “Guess I got lucky this time around…”

Willy threw the used syringes into the biohazard trash can and sat next to Barrie, planting a kiss on his temple. Tyson couldn’t help but notice the way the two of them looked at each other. Their gazes were warm, and they were so obviously smitten with each other that it made Tyson’s own heart flutter a little. 

At the same time, a slight nagging feeling pulled at Tyson’s chest. He chose to do what he could to ignore it.

 

//

 

So, things continued to run smoothly at Camp Lakeview. Everything fell back into a steady rhythm, and it was honestly nice. Schedules were strict but still flexible, there wasn’t a lot of horrible mishaps (to everyone’s surprise), and the kids were engaged and having fun.

Tyson also began to drift closer to JT.

Passing the dock, Tyson would always try to catch JT’s eye and wave at him as he walked by. They continued to sit next to each other whenever they had campfires, and Tyson even began sitting with him and Kerfy during meals.

It took Tyson awhile to realize that JT was drifting closer to him as well. He’d initially thought it was one sided, but he couldn’t help but notice out of the corner of his eye how JT would stare at him as he joked with some of the kids, or how JT would touch Tyson- friendly and casual, but lingering.

Despite growing closer to JT, Tyson couldn’t help but feel more than a little nervous around him, like if he says one wrong thing JT will walk away and never talk to him again. He knew that that definitely wasn’t the case, though, if JT had been around this long. Tyson wasn’t always the best at controlling his mouth, and he’d most definitely gone a little speechless around JT on more than one occasion. 

Still, the whole thing began to bug Tyson. Not necessarily in a bad way, but in a rather curious way. Like the whole situation was something he wanted to explore a bit before diving into it completely.

So, Tyson was going to have to get to know a bit more about JT before he made a move of any sort. 

They were in the middle of learning how to  whittle when Tyson decided to ask Kerfy about him. Kerfy was mainly there to keep an eye on everyone and make sure that no one accidentally cut themselves, but at one point he decided to join in.

“Kerf, can I ask you something kinda… weird?”

“Go for it,” Kerfy replied, not looking up from his piece of wood.

“Now, I know it’s not entirely my business, but I’m a bit curious I guess, so. What kind of people are JT into?”

A knowing smile sprung onto Kerfy’s face, and Tyson knew that he was fucked. “So you’re finally thinking of making a move, huh?”   


Tyson just about sliced right through his thumb. “What? No, I’m just. I don’t know,” Tyson’s face warmed up, and he purposefully did not look at Kerfy.

“Well, guys don’t typically ask other guys what their friends are into unless they’re thinking about making a move,” Kerfy cut in.

And, shit. He was right. Tyson was caught.

He stayed quiet, taking a few unsuccessful strokes at the stick in his hand. No matter what he tried, it still just looked like a lump of wood.

“JT’s into dudes,” Kerfy said quietly. “He’s single, too. He doesn’t really talk about relationship stuff a lot, so I don’t know too much about his preferences, but… I do know that he’s more than a little interested in a certain Tyson here at Camp Lakeview, and it is definitely not Barrie.”

This time, Josty’s knife actually does slip and cuts a gash right into his thumb, causing him to flinch. “Shit,” he hisses numbly.

Kerfy just sighs and reaches for his first aid kit.

 

//

 

Tuesday morning when everyone is eating breakfast, Gabe, Nate, and EJ make an announcement.

“As some of you know, here at Camp Lakeview we have a bit of a tradition on the last day of camp. For those of you who don’t know,” Gabe paused, looking around the room dramatically, “On the last day of camp we hold what is quite possibly the most extravagant event here in the Avalanche Heights mountain range; The Camp Lakeview Talent Show!” Gabe shouted dramatically.

Most of the kids and counselors cheered, but Tyson went pale. Looking around, he noted that he definitely wasn’t the only one who was more than a little nervous at the idea of performing in front of a crowd, even if that crowd was made up of kids between ages ten and fifteen and several men in their twenties.

“And don’t forget, this is a camp-wide event, so everyone is performing no matter what! And don’t worry, group performances are allowed,” Nate added.

Okay, awesome. Tyson was completely fucked.

He wasn’t the best singer, he couldn’t play an instrument, and he definitely would not dance in front of people. The only things he was decent at was playing hockey and failing at flirting with hot people. Also apparently he was a decent camp counselor, but he was already kinda showing that talent off everyday.

This… was going to be interesting. Oh well, he had a little over a week. Surely he’d think of something… right?

 

//

 

The rest of that day had been designated as Lake Day. At least, that’s what the kids were calling it.

They had planned a few different activities for the kids at several different parts of the lake, and they’d rotate through them. They grouped up the kids and counselors, two counselors to every eight kids. It would work out. For the most part.

They ended up having Kerfy act as a backup lifeguard the whole time, considering the fact that they’d have the whole camp at the lake all at the same time, but it would surely work out. The kids were older, but then again… they were still kids.

Tyson ended up in a group alongside Grubi, who was rather quiet, but incredibly nice.

Unfortunately though, they seemed to get the rowdier group of kids, and it was hard to get them to listen. Grubi was big and could definitely be intimidating if he wanted to be, but Tyson guessed that he wouldn’t yell at a kid if his life depended on it.

Tyson, on the other hand, just was not confident enough. He could raise his voice, sure, but it’s like these kids could smell his lack of confidence, and they basically used it to try to work their way around listening to him.

After what felt like an eternity of trying and failing to get these kids to listen (for fuck’s sake, it was a cannonball competition, not rocket science) JT strode over.

“Hey, why haven’t you guys started your station? Something wrong?” He glanced knowingly at Tyson and Grubi, and Tyson breathed an internal sigh of relief. JT was way better with kids than Tyson.

One of the bigger, meaner kids in the group stepped forward and crossed his arms, glaring up at JT.

“This whole thing is a joke. It’s boring. Jumping into a lake isn’t exactly what kids find fun nowadays.”

Tyson twitched, and he noticed Grubi make a face beside him, but JT didn’t waver.

“Okay. Well, right now your group is supposed to stay at the dock, so what else could we do at the dock that might be more fun for you guys?”

Tyson watched as JT basically fought things out with the kid, and eventually came to a compromise. It was honestly quite impressive. 

From there, JT took control of their group for the rest of the station, and Tyson couldn’t help but stare. JT seriously was like… a kid whisperer. It was crazy. 

Once again, Tyson definitely wasn’t being subtle. Grubi nudged him, smiling, and laughed when Tyson’s face went red.

Tyson just shoved at him, shaking his head fondly. At this point, he’d just accepted the fact that his crush was a little obvious, but hey, could anyone blame him?

 

//

 

The rest of Lake Day was actually a blast. The kids in Tyson’s group managed to calm down, and no one drowned, which in Tyson’s book, was a big success. 

Tyson ended up shoved into the lake, again, but this time it was by accident. (That is, if you can call EJ shoving Ryan into Tyson causing them both to fall into the lake an “accident”.)

By the end of the day, the entire camp was extremely exhausted. They ended up putting the kids to bed rather early, and with Gabe’s permission, a good amount of the counselors decided to hang around the fire pit in the amphitheatre.

Usually they discouraged the kids from telling scary campfire stories, but now that there weren’t any kids around, Mikko and EJ were going to jump on the opportunity.

Tyson didn’t exactly get freaked out by the stories. He’d gone to camp long enough to become sort of numb to them, really, but he could tell that some of the other counselors weren’t the same. Barrie, in particular, clung to Willy like his life depended on it, and JT was as stiff as a board beside Tyson. Which, Tyson hadn’t thought JT would be one to get freaked out by that kind of stuff, but he wasn’t one to judge. 

And Tyson wasn’t exactly the biggest risk taker, but.

Moving so that they were closer, Tyson reached over and placed his hand on JT’s forearm reassuringly. He flinched slightly, but met Tyson’s gaze and relaxed into his touch. Tyson pretended not to notice his small smile and the blush that crept onto his cheeks.

Tyson was definitely going to count this one as a win.

 

//

 

Eventually, it began to grow a bit  _ too  _ late, and a lot of the guys decided to call it quits and head back to their cabins. 

Although, Tyson was restless. Despite their long day, he felt like his mind wouldn’t shut down, and it was more than a little overwhelming. He didn’t exactly want to go back to the cabin, but he didn’t exactly want to do much of anything either, except for just. Take in the fresh air, and clear his thoughts.

He ended up sitting at the dock, feet dangling off the edge, as he looked out over Lake Grizzly. It was a gorgeous night in the mountains. The moon was shining, and they were far enough from the city that he could see the stars in full force, reflecting beautifully off the lake’s calm surface. There was a slight cool breeze, much different than the warm winds they’d sometimes get in the daytime, and it felt amazing. Tyson honestly felt like he was in heaven. Well, that is, if heaven had mosquitos. 

He took a deep breath and watched as the trees circling the lake swayed gently in the breeze. In that moment, Tyson felt like there wasn’t a worry in the world, like the only things that existed were himself, the dock, and the beautiful scenery in front of him.

Tyson’s whole body relaxed, and he leaned back to rest his weight on his hands, when he suddenly heard the sound of a door closing.

Looking over, he saw JT coming out of the boathouse, striding over to Tyson. Tyson felt something flutter in his chest at the sight of him in the moonlight. He looked tired, but he was looking right at Tyson with this calm, yet joyful expression on his face, like seeing Tyson there had made his night better. It was a lot for Tyson to take in.

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” JT said, gesturing to the lake. He was looking down at Tyson, a hopeful, nervous glint in his eye. “Mind if I join you?”

Tyson felt his face grow hot, but it was dark enough that JT most likely wouldn’t notice. Hopefully. 

“Yeah, go for it,” Tyson said nonchalantly. Honestly, the thought of having JT next to him, alone, while they looked out over the lake was more than a little nerve-wracking to think about, but Tyson could do this. He just needed to relax and not overthink the whole thing. He knew that JT was into him, and he definitely wasn’t going to let himself screw that up. Not right now.

JT settled in next to Tyson, probably a little closer than Tyson would’ve gone for, but he definitely wasn’t going to complain. Having him there was nice, and if anything, it completed the whole scene. After all, this was where Tyson had met JT, where JT always was. Something in Tyson’s mind just automatically linked JT to this lake, but he didn’t realize it until that moment.

“I love it out here, you know. The lake is just, well, it’s kinda like my  _ thing _ here at camp,” Tyson watched as JT looked up at the stars. “You know how Kerf has, like, the med-bay, and Soda and Brutes have the kitchen, and Willy has the art room? I have the lake, and it just… It feels so special to be in charge of something so big and beautiful.”

JT turned to look at Tyson, and Tyson’s lungs practically stopped working. He really hadn’t expected JT to get so passionate, but he’d take it as a good sign. JT wasn’t one to talk too much, so the fact that he felt like he could talk to Tyson made things seem a bit… hopeful. It didn’t help that the look on JT’s face made Tyson’s heart practically skip a beat.

Unfortunately Tyson’s brain could only handle so much at one time, and this was all just, well, a lot. He had to take a moment to breath and find a response that wasn’t completely incoherent.

“The lake’s the best part of the camp in my opinion, so I’d say you got pretty lucky,” Tyson met JT’s gaze, smiling warmly at him. JT mirrored Tyson’s smile, causing Tyson’s face to heat up again. “And, you’re obviously passionate about it. Not a lot of people are passionate about their job, but I can tell that you love yours. It’s awesome, really,”

Tyson could swear he saw JT’s face grow a shade darker as his smile grew. It was honestly more than a little endearing.

“You’re right. I’ve always loved the water, and sharing that love with others is one of the best parts of being a lifeguard here.”

“Only  _ one of _ the best parts?” Tyson questioned, leaning in closer to JT’s space. He didn’t mean to, but the tone of JT’s voice was acting like a magnet, drawing Tyson to him. It was a little embarrassing but Tyson couldn’t help it- JT just had that effect on him.

“Well, you know. There’s a lot of great things about the lake. Canoeing, kayaking, paddleboarding… you name it. But do you know what the best part is?” JT said, his voice getting low, “The best part is meeting certain Canadian counselors who like hockey, lacrosse, and whose first name starts with a ‘T’.”

“So, Tyson Barrie, huh? Sorry Comphy, I’m pretty sure he’s taken and I doubt Willy shares.” Tyson joked. Sure, JT had essentially just admitted to Tyson’s face that he was most definitely into Tyson, but he couldn’t help it. He was shaking out of nervousness, and he definitely tripped over his words a few times, but he didn’t care. Making a dumb joke seemed to be the best possible response that wasn’t throwing himself at JT and kissing him or stuttering something embarrassing.

JT just rolled his eyes, a fond smile on his face, and took Tyson’s hand into his. Tyson noted that he was shaking just as much, and his palms were a little sweaty.

“Wrong Tyson, buddy. I meant you, you know.” He looked down at the lake, seemingly nervous to meet Tyson’s eyes. “I’ve… well. I’ve kinda been eyeing you since day one. And Kerfy said-”

“You should probably kiss me right now,” Tyson blurted out.

JT stared at him shocked, “I… what?”

Tyson shook his head, smiling at JT. “You heard me. I’ve been- uh, I’ve been feeling the same way about you too, and I kinda suck with words, but. You should kiss me.” Tyson realized that he was almost definitely being one of the least romantic people in the world, but he didn’t care. JT was looking at him like he was the stars reflecting off the lake’s surface, and the moonlight made him look like a prince. Or something.

Tyson watched as JT’s shoulders relaxed, and he took a deep breath, leaning in towards him. Tyson met him halfway, closed his eyes, and kissed him. Tyson felt like he was practically buzzing with electricity, it felt so unreal. The kiss itself was soft and sweet, both of them too nervous to take it any further, and eventually JT pulled away, breathless.

The two of them looked at each other, wide eyed, not knowing what to say or do. Tyson was in complete awe, his brain not being able to process the fact that yeah, he just kissed JT Compher. It was more than a little crazy to think about, but-

“That was- we should. Do it again,” Tyson stuttered with an eager grin. JT’s face suddenly lit up and he grabbed onto Tyson’s shirt, tugging him into a deeper, much more intimate kiss.

 

//

 

The next few days were some of the best days that Tyson had at Camp Lakeview.

Him and JT stuck a little too close together, prompting Kerfy to question the two of them, but they managed to keep things on the down low. (Even if Tyson knew that Kerfy was too smart for his own good and knew damn well what they were up to.)

There would be times where JT would pull Tyson off to the side, whether it was behind a cabin or into the bathroom, kissing him short and quick. It always left Tyson a little dumbfounded- there was no way he was ever going to get used to a hot lifeguard kissing him basically whenever, even if they did have to be sneaky about it.

Tyson knew that relationships among the counselors wasn’t frowned upon, considering how supportive they were of Willy and Barrie, but where him and JT didn’t know each other for too long, well… Tyson definitely did not want to be scolded by Gabe or EJ. Although, there was no way they were the first counselors to get together so quickly. 

(Plus he had caught Sam and Ryan sleeping in the same bed on more than one occasion, but he wasn’t gonna say anything about it.)

But, Tyson wasn’t the best about thinking about things in too positive of a light. He was nervous that JT would get tired of him, or that he would get to know Tyson a bit better and decide that he didn’t like him, which was honestly a terrifying thought. 

They only had about a week left until camp was over, then they’d return home for a couple of weeks, and then come back to camp for another few weeks through July and August for what was essentially round two. What if JT became disinterested? What if something happened and JT managed to find someone else?

In reality, Tyson knew that that wasn’t very likely, but it could still happen and either way… it wasn’t exactly the most comforting thing to think about.

He tried his best to get rid of those thoughts, because it wasn’t too often that luck was in Tyson’s favor, and at this point, he’d take what he could get.

 

//

 

Which, of course Tyson’s luck would run short, because life seemed to love torturing him from time to time.

They had just gotten back from another hike, EJ did a role call for their group, and they were missing someone.

Everyone stopped in their tracks, and EJ began to grow a little frantic. “Okay, hold on, there’s just- I had to have miscounted,” he said, running a hand through his hair anxiously.

Sure enough, they counted again, and they were still off.

“Okay, uh, who doesn’t have their travel buddy?” Tyson piped up, voice shaking slightly. He definitely wasn't about to panic. No way.

One of the smaller, quieter kids raised their hand. “I don’t know where Cass went,” he said. “I thought he would catch up after he said he was gonna go to the bathroom, so I didn’t say anything, but… he never came back.”

Tyson felt his heart sink, and he watched as several different emotions flashed across EJ’s face, eventually settling on something that was more than a little terrifying.

Tyson laid a hand on his shoulder reassuringly. “We’re gonna figure this out, okay? I bet Cass isn’t too far behind.” He said in an even tone. Sure, he was trying to calm EJ down, but at the same time he was trying to reassure himself as well. Tyson felt like he was on the verge of tears.

EJ closed his eyes and took a breath. “You’re right. We’ll back-track a bit and see if we can find him, and if not-”

“We’ll find him. We have to,” Tyson interjected. Tyson would hike the entirety of the Avalanche Heights mountains if it meant he could find a lost camper.

They ended up turning around and heading right back up the mountain, a cloud of silence hanging over them all. Tyson tried his best to stay collected, but he could tell that EJ was struggling to stay calm too. On one hand, the whole situation  _ was  _ their fault. After all, their job  _ was  _ to keep an eye on the kids. But on the other hand, the campers knew that they weren’t supposed to stray away from the group without telling the counselors what they were doing, and Cass had failed to follow that rule.

EJ began to grow a bit more frantic the longer they went without finding any sign of Cass. Tyson had noted that EJ was definitely a mama-bird type counselor, who got a bit overwhelmed and protective when something happened to one of his kids. It wasn’t surprising, but it was  _ not  _ helping Tyson to feel any better.

Eventually, EJ stopped rather abruptly, causing Tyson to run right into him, but he didn’t react.

Suddenly EJ whipped out a walkie talkie, since only him, Gabe, and Nate were the only ones who carried them. “I can’t believe I didn’t think of this sooner,” he said, tuning it to the right channel. He held down the button and spoke into it, voice shaky, “Have you guys happened to see Cass? Taller kid with blonde, curly hair? He’s missing from our group.”

Tyson felt his whole body tense as they waited for a response. Their group had been the first to arrive from the hike, and Gabe and Nate’s groups were supposed to arrive not too long after them. 

Tyson just about jumped out of his skin at the sudden sound of the walkie talkie crackling. “I haven’t seen him. We’ll keep a lookout.” Gabe responded.

A few of the kids began muttering to each other nervously, and Tyson’s heart ached. He wanted to say something, but he was afraid that he might burst into tears if he tried speaking at that point.

They all froze as the walkie talkie crackled once again.

“Hold on a sec,” It was Nate. They all stood in anticipatory silence waiting for him to come back.

“Oh yeah, he’s with us. He said that he heard our group and decided to join us instead… We’re not too far off from the edge of the forest so we should be getting to camp soon.”

At that moment, the sound of Nate’s voice was like heaven. EJ relaxed, breathing a sigh of relief, and Tyson did the same. Thank god the kid was alright, but from the tone of Nate’s voice, Tyson guessed that Cass would be receiving a bit of a stern talking-to.

Either way, he was just glad that he wasn’t completely missing or hurt. He would do anything in his power to keep these kids safe.

As they headed back, him and EJ kept a consistent count of the kids, and Tyson snickered as he watched they subconsciously lined up behind EJ. He really was quite the mama-bird. Tyson couldn’t help but note how adorable it was.

 

//

 

“So, how about that talent show, huh? What you got planned for it?” Kerfy asked, sitting down across from Tyson. It was breakfast, and Kerfy had a plate full of food that was… way too healthy for summer camp standards. Tyson acknowledged him with a slight grimace and took another bite of his not-so-healthy pancakes.

“Oh, you know, I got something awesome planned,” Tyson said with his mouth full, “Don’t I, JT?”

He, in fact, had absolutely nothing planned, yet the talent show was in three days. JT knew this very well. Tyson had asked him for suggestions, but… they just couldn’t come up with anything.

JT looked between Tyson and Kerfy, a rather tired expression on his face. “Oh yeah, it’s gonna be great. Tyson and I are gonna kill it in our act,” he said, causing Tyson to almost choke on his food. He definitely had not discussed doing anything with JT, but it’s not like he was opposed to the idea. It simply caught him by surprise, is all.

Kerfy crossed his arms, quirking one of his ridiculously thick eyebrows at them. Tyson couldn’t help but giggle.

“Oh really? Well, what is it?”

“It’s top secret,” Tyson said matter-of-factly. “You’ll just have to wait and see.”

Kerfy stayed suspiciously quiet, taking a bite of his scrambled egg whites, before saying, “You guys don’t have anything planned, do you.”

Tyson scoffed, but JT shrugged. Tyson felt a bit betrayed. Kerfy was grinning smugly at the two of them. It was unfair, really.

“Okay, well, what exactly are you gonna do, Mr. Harvard-Pants?”

“‘Mr. Harvard-Pants’? What are you, twelve?” Kerfy retorted. One of the kids at the table glared at Kerfy, offended. Kerfy made sure to apologize and clarify that twelve-year-olds were cool and that he was just kidding.

“Don’t dodge our question,” JT said, resting his arms on the table. “You’re not exactly the talent show type, unless you’ll be doing a demonstration on how to remove splinters or apply sunscreen properly.”

Kerfy opened his mouth to retort, but JT had caught him. He sat there in thought for a moment (which honestly made him look more confused than anything) before a lightbulb basically appeared over his head.

“Oh my god. You guys are gonna die when you see my act. It’s so great.”

Tyson honestly doubted that. He probably was going to name all the individual bones in the hand or something like that. It genuinely wouldn’t surprise anyone.

 

//

 

Tyson was in the middle of painting pictures of Lake Grizzly with Willy and the campers when JT came practically running from the dock, right up to Tyson. They were all set up with their easels right outside the craft room so that they had a perfect view of the lake.

“Josty, I’ve got an idea for what we could do for the talent show,” He said, rather breathless.

“Wow, someone’s eager. And don’t be too loud about it, we don’t want anyone  _ stealing our ideas _ ,” Tyson drawled, setting his paintbrush down. He really was glad to have a break. Art wasn’t exactly his thing, and his painting of the lake looked more like a big blob than anything. “Anyway, what’s your idea?”   


“You could do a magic show.”

Tyson stared at JT. “Like…”

“You know, nothing big. We could do like, card tricks. That kind of stuff. I could be your assistant, or whatever.”

“Dude, I know like, nothing about magic tricks or card tricks,” Tyson reasoned.

“I found some pretty simple how-to videos on YouTube. You could totally do it, and we could maybe learn together?”

Okay, JT was definitely into this idea, and it was honestly extremely endearing. Plus, Tyson wasn’t one to decline a chance to do something with JT, especially something that was so… one-on-one. 

Also, after giving it some thought, he’d look damn good in a top hat. No one could convince him otherwise.

 

//

 

So the last few days of camp were spent preparing for the talent show. Tyson and JT watched an entire YouTube series in preparation, and JT made Tyson practice all the tricks on him to make sure he had them down. Sure, Tyson only did them correctly about 70 percent of the time, but that was better than zero percent. 

And, sure they were supposed to use a volunteer from the audience, but Tyson and JT agreed that it would be better to save the others from that embarrassment. It was smartest to just use JT for it.

Tyson wasn’t too sure of what most of the other counselors were doing, but he had a feeling that a lot of their acts would be a bit… disastrous. 

Kerfy was still acting all cryptic, but Tyson still guessed that his act would most likely be kinda lame. He knew Ryan and Sam were doing a thing from Phantom of the Opera, which, okay, and he discovered that Gabe was going to be singing ABBA thanks to walking in on him practicing in the shower house when he thought he was all alone. Tyson was never going to let him live that down.

But, Tyson also knew that surely his and JT’s act wasn’t going to be horribly cheesy. He practiced a shit ton for this (well. Three days). And if anything, everyone would definitely be able to laugh at how bad he was. Kids loved making fun of adults.

 

//

 

JT had pushed Tyson up against the wall inside the boathouse on the last Thursday night, kissing him senseless, when he asked Tyson out.

“I’m sorry, say that again?” Tyson said, pulling back. JT had practically mumbled his entire sentence, blushing up a storm, and Tyson definitely thought that he was hearing him wrong.

“I said, after camp is over, would you like to, you know... go out with me sometime?” JT asked. He looked up at Tyson, nervous yet hopeful. 

Tyson was frozen with shock. He honestly hadn’t expected this whole thing to go any further than it did, and it was honestly so relieving to know that JT wanted to take things to the next step. He was so nervous to think that maybe JT wouldn’t want to take what they had outside of Camp Lakeview. But now to know that he did...  Tyson could hardly believe it.

“I- really?” Tyson’s voice squeaked.

JT looked away and scratched the back of his head. “I’ll get it if you’re not interested in me like that, but… yeah.”

Tyson’s eyebrows shot up. Yeah, no, Tyson was more than a little smitten. Even if he shouldn’t be. “God, JT, I’m very much interested in you like that. I’m just-” Tyson smiled and shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts. “This is just. Yeah, I’d love to go out with you sometime. That would seriously be awesome.” 

JT’s face lit up. Tyson would never get tired of that smile.

 

//

 

Tyson woke up on the second to last day of camp earlier than he had expected. The sun was still low, not quite peeking over the Avalanche Heights mountain range, and everything felt quiet. Calm. 

He tried to go back to sleep, but no matter how much he tossed and turned, he just couldn’t. He got out of bed, changed his clothes as quietly as he possibly could, and smiled at the sight of Sam curled against Ryan’s front in the bed on the opposite side of the cabin.

Tyson went to the lodge for some coffee, and headed up to the upper level. He heard the familiar noise of Tyson and Soda in the kitchen, awake bright and early to get breakfast ready, and went out onto the deck that overlooked the entire camp. He sipped at his coffee and reflected on the past few weeks. He’d made quite a few new friends- Kerfy, Grubi, Gabe, Other-Tyson, and all the others. He’d met JT, who he definitely shouldn’t be head-over-heels for, but oh well. JT was amazing. He’d also came to be rather fond of the campers. He definitely didn’t tear up at the thought of them leaving. Nope, no way. He was going to miss all of them, even the ones that had gotten into trouble along the way, because Gabe was really right. Camp Lakeview did change these kids for the better.

He looked out over the railing, taking in the sights. It felt almost like an inverse of the night at the dock with JT. It was warm, but not hot. The lake was calm for this time of day, the water practically completely still. There was a few stray clouds floating idly in the sky. Birds were chirping. Looking over to the cabins, he saw Rants heading to the shower house. He could hear Barrie and Soda bickering from inside, and from below, the muffled sound of Willy’s radio.

It all felt like something out of a dream, really, and to think that it was all going to be over so soon made something in Tyson’s chest ache. Sure he’d be coming back in another month or so, but the fact that he had to leave at all… just sucked. He’d become so attached to the place. He’d only been there three weeks, and it already felt like a second home. 

That’s how Tyson knew that Camp Lakeview was somewhere special.

 

//

 

Once everyone woke up and ate breakfast (which included ice cream, because Barrie was adamant that since it was their second to last breakfast there, they should be allowed to bend the rules), they got started with setting up the talent show.

Willy had pulled out a bunch of costumes from one of the storage rooms, and Tyson managed to find a slightly rumpled top hat that he thought looked perfect for his act. JT had definitely laughed more than was necessary when Tyson showed it to him, which, rude.

Everyone was left to do some final preparations and find costumes, and then it was time to formally get things up and running. They’d had it planned so that they’d have a few of the campers do their acts, then they’d have one of the counselors, and then back to the campers, etc.

For all the acts that involved music, they left Barrie in charge of the small speaker system they’d set up in the amphitheater. Which, in reality, everyone was a bit nervous because, Barrie was... a little clumsy. Surely it would be okay, though. Hopefully.

Tyson definitely cheered a bit too loud for each of the kids’ acts. There was quite the variety for the first few, which he was thankful for. He wasn’t sure how many singing and dancing acts he could get through without being too bored.

The first of the counselors to do their act was Grubi and Ghetto. It was honestly more than a little surprising- Grubi belted out the lyrics to some rather hardcore German rock song while Ghetto sang the backup lyrics. Needless to say, everyone was shocked, but they all loved it. Grubi showed a side of him that no one really had expected to see.

After a few more of the campers acts, one of which included a rather intimidating karate routine, things were bumped up a notch after Soda decided to juggle knives. Everyone was visibly tense- to Tyson’s left, Kerfy became particularly jumpy and on edge- but Soda managed to do it without so much as a scratch. It was honestly a little horrifying, but Tyson was on his feet clapping at the end of it, because that was damn impressive.

At one point, Tyson was almost brought to tears thanks to a rather dramatic reenactment of the scene where Spiderman dies in Infinity War. It’s a sad scene, okay? He had a right to be sad watching these little kids recreate it.

Nate ended up rapping (everyone rolled their eyes, because, of course), but he tripped over his words halfway through, and Tyson couldn’t help but cringe. At that point, it hurt to watch- he saw the way Nate’s face fell when it happened. It was... Sad. Though, everyone still cheered him on at least.

They managed to get through a rather horrible puppet show hosted by Z and a borderline inappropriate dance by Calvert before it was Tyson and JT’s turn. Stage fright suddenly hit Tyson like a freight train. It was like he was so caught up in watching the others that he forgot to be nervous.

Before they headed to the center of the amphitheater, JT grabbed and squeezed Tyson’s hand reassuringly, out of sight from everyone else.

Their whole thing was definitely ridiculous.

Sure, it started out smoothly, but of course Tyson managed to screw up  _ something _ . He’d shuffled his deck of cards and whipped out what surely had to be the correct one, when it definitely wasn’t.

“Is this your card?” Tyson shouted dramatically as he held the card in front of JT.

“No. My card was the six of diamonds,” JT said, crossing his arms. He had a slightly mischievous smile on his face. That little shit.

Tyson flipped the card around to quickly look at it. “This is the six.”

“Of clubs.”

“I’m colorblind,” Tyson retorted.

He heard a few snickers from the crowd.

“It’s a different shape!” JT yelled, throwing his hands up.

At that, the camp definitely laughed harder than Tyson would’ve expected. He felt betrayed. 

“...moving on,” He said with a small blush on his cheeks.

The whole act ended up devolving into a comedy act, with JT making fun of Tyson whenever he screwed up a trick, which was sadly more often than Tyson had hoped. He decided to just roll with it. Although, when he looked out into the audience and saw some of them laughing so hard that tears were in their eyes, he decided to consider the whole thing a job well done.

Once they sat back down, JT leaned over and whispered, “That was a shitshow, but… it worked.”

“That’s no lie. I’m just glad we weren’t booed off the stage,”

“I highly doubt anyone would want your cute face off the stage.” JT said, making Tyson giggle. 

“Would you two stop flirting? Gabe’s about to do his act, and you know it’s gonna be good,” said Kerfy, leaning over to get their attention.

Tyson immediately perked up, because if this was anything like it was when he ran into Gabe practicing in the shower house, well, it was going to be more than amazing.

Gabe strutted onto the stage in a rather flashy gold outfit that was straight out of the 70s. He looked ridiculous, but as he started singing, quite literally everyone became entranced, because holy shit, Gabe had a nice voice. And the way he moved his hips… Tyson’s face became a bit warm and he couldn’t help but watch. He glanced over at JT and noticed that he was just as sucked into it as everyone else. The kids mainly just laughed at the whole thing, but most of the counselors definitely were not thinking the cleanest thoughts. 

Like, sure Matt’s Magic Mike inspired thing wasn’t the most appropriate, but it wasn’t exactly hot either. This was at least appropriate and very, very hot.

At the end of the song, Gabe bowed and winked at the crowd, which earned him a few whistles, mainly from EJ and Nate. JT suddenly grabbed onto Tyson’s shoulder and pretended to clutch at his heart.

“Josty, buddy, I’m sorry but I think that’s gotta be one of the sexiest things I’ve ever seen.” JT said, almost breathless. Tyson glanced at him, and sure enough he’d gone completely red. It was seriously adorable.

“Dude, I’m right there with you. That was… pretty hot,” Tyson replied, leaning into JT’s touch.

“You’re just fueling his fire, man,” Kerfy said. “JT’s got the biggest crush on Gabe. I’m pretty sure he’d go for him over anyone.”   


Tyson assumed he was supposed to be a little offended by this fact, but looking at Gabe… he couldn’t blame JT. Gabe was kind of really gorgeous.

Once everyone had gotten over their cases of Landeskog Fever, Barrie stood on the stage with the mic and had the other counselors come up as well. He essentially did what he called “stand-up insults”, where he’d basically come up with the best chirp he could think of for each of them. While yeah, he was technically just insulting them all, it was pretty fucking hilarious. Tyson thought the campers were going to die of laughter at one point.

EJ told an original short story involving horses, and no one was surprised. They’d buckled in for something weird and kind of boring, but it was actually surprisingly emotional and Tyson definitely saw Barrie begin to tear up.

It didn’t help when Willy got on stage and sang a love song while playing his acoustic guitar. He very obviously glanced at Barrie more than once, who was in tears by the end of the whole thing. Tyson’s own eyes began to water, and he felt JT’s hand rest on the small of his back. Tyson wasn’t exactly sappy, but Willy and Barrie were just way too cute not to cry over.

The talent show ended with Sam and Ryan recreating a scene from Phantom of the Opera (apparently Sam could sing opera? It was wild), Kerfy reciting pi to the 69th decimal point (nice), and Rants word-for-word reciting the monologue in Rocky Balboa. In English. It was incredibly surprising but very inspiring.

And so there was one more round of applause for everyone. It made Tyson more than a little emotional as he came to the realization that, yeah, this really was the last time he’d see some of these kids, and he wouldn’t see the others for another year or so. He’d honestly become a little attached.

As they all walked to their cabins for the night, Josty hugged a few of the campers, making sure to ruffle their hair and fist bump them all. He was going to miss their constant positivity and their snarky comments. They really were quite the awesome bunch, and Tyson knew that he had learned a thing or two from these kids.

 

//

 

Check-out day at Camp Lakeview was sunny and bright, but without the usual intensity. Instead of having the sun constantly beating down on everyone, it felt cool, like the sun was smiling down on them and letting them have their bittersweet day in peace.

Everyone had packed up the night before, and Tyson had procrastinated his packing for as long as he possibly could, but only because JT had dragged him to the side of the lodge to have a bit of an emotional make out session. That was totally the only excuse he had. Definitely.

They all waited in the dirt parking lot as the parents rolled in, checking their kids out one by one. Tyson made sure to wave and say goodbye to as many of the campers as he possibly could. He teared up on more than one occasion as the campers he’d grown close to left.

After a few hours, the group of counselors were left on their own in the parking lot. Gabe gave a final speech to them all, ending in a cheer, before leaving them to run back to the cabins and grab their stuff before leaving.

Tyson’s heart raced the whole time. He seriously did  _ not  _ want to leave these guys. They all chatted as they headed back, and Tyson joined in, trying to seem as cheerful as he possibly could. 

Once everyone was back to the parking lot, they all said their goodbyes to each other, and for Tyson, each one was more emotional than the last. 

Gabe clapped him on the back and wished him a job well done at his first month at Camp Lakeview. Nate pulled him in for a hug and EJ ruffled his hair.

Soda shook his hand with a rather surprising smile.

Rants, Z, Ghetto, and Matt fist bumped him.

Sam and Ryan both hugged him cheerfully. Tyson watched as they walked away, hand in hand. Something in his chest fluttered.

Grubi bear-hugged him, lifting him off his feet with a big grin on his face. It was incredibly endearing. 

Barrie cried into his shoulder and hugged him tightly, going on about how he’d “raised such a good little Tyson”. Willy watched on with a fond smile on his face.

Kerfy made sure to get his number and to follow him on Instagram, adding him to the Lakeview counselor group chat.

Tyson’s heart practically stopped when JT came up to him. The air felt electric as they stood there, staring at each other, too much to say. Too much to do.

JT took a breath, finally breaking the silence. “So, about that date…”

Tyson felt his cheeks flush. “Yeah?”

“My flight doesn’t leave until tomorrow. We could grab dinner in the city tonight? If you want?” JT kept glancing away from Tyson and running a hand through his hair. He was definitely nervous, and Tyson was so incredibly into it.

“I planned on staying in Colorado for a while, so. I’d love to.” Tyson said beaming at JT, looking more confident than he felt. His hands began to shake, because holy shit, he was actually, for real, going to go on a date with JT. Tyson practically felt like he was floating.

“Cool,” JT said, gazing at Tyson with stars in is eyes.

“Pretty cool,” Tyson agreed.

They both stayed like that, frozen, looking into each other’s eyes, before JT closed the space between them. He pulled Tyson’s body close, wrapping his arms tightly around his waist, and Tyson threw his arms around JT’s shoulders. JT grinned at Tyson, dark eyes crinkling at the corners.

JT eventually met Tyson’s lips with his own, and it felt like electricity was surging through the both of them. It was different from their past kisses, more passionate and full of meaning. It was almost definitely the best kiss that Tyson had ever experienced.

Once they’d pulled away from each other, Tyson took one last look out at Lake Grizzly, watching as the sun shimmered on the lake’s surface. It was then that Tyson realized there wasn’t a single moment he’d regretted at Camp Lakeview, and he doubted there ever would be.

**Author's Note:**

> \- Tyson Barrie is trans and there is a detailed scene in which he receives his T shot. Be wary of that scene if needles make you uncomfortable.  
> And there you have it! Who knows, maybe the next summer the boys realize what they're missing out on and try to seduce the hot camp nurse together. Anyway, I'm hoping to maybe do a bit more with this AU, such as little snippets or missing scenes. If anyone ever wants to request prompts with this AU, go for it! Thank you so much for reading. I had so much fun writing this! Find me at @holtbys-beard on tumblr!


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